Kansas government ranks in top 10 in transparency

Topeka  Kansas ranks among the top 10 states in a study of government transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms.

The state is one of 19 to receive an average grade of "C'' in the State Integrity Investigation, conducted by the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the study found that states are doing a poor job delivering accountability and transparency to their residents.

No state received an A from the months-long probe that looked at 330 "Corruption Risk Indicators" across 14 categories of government.

Kansas scored a 75 in the study, ninth best in the nation, while Missouri also received a C grade with 72 points.

New Jersey had the highest grade with a B-plus, while eight states received an F.

In other news: http://hotair.com/archives/2012/03/19/report-card-most-transparent-administration-ever-receives-a-c-in-transparency/
The money quotes: "...It’s evident that the administration would rather bear the brunt of criticism for a lack of transparency than actually release the information investigators want and need. Consider this, for example:
“One set of logs produced by the DOJ is through its main FOIA office, the Office of Information policy (OIP). In five years, OIP received 1,843 FOIA requests. Of those 1,843 requests, only 253 received either full or partial grants of records,” the report continues. “There were 517 requests still pending, and 61 requests denied in full. The remaining requests were closed for numerous legal reasons, usually listed as ‘other’ in the logs.”
With an election on the horizon, expect to see the Obama administration remain as protective of information as ever. Again, they’d rather risk the appearance of hypocrisy than release any information that could jeopardize Obama’s reelection..."

To say that Kansas is in the top 10 for transparency in the US, with the current amount that is non-transparent countrywide, is like saying that we are the are best of the losers, or to quote the movie "Waiting" like being the smartest kid with Down's Syndrome.

Easy to see through lies too, huh? No way with all the KU corruption ( and the way workers and students are muzzled and prevented from speaking out about it upon threat of dire, retaliatory, and illegal abuse of the criminal injustice system) rampant southern-justice tactics, and conflict-of-interest does KS have a transparent government.

"Topeka, KS – Last Thursday the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee held a hearing for HB 2437, a bill that would have expedited proof of citizenship for voter registration. Dozens of Kansans in opposition to the bill filled the committee room, many delivered testimony, and countless others called, emailed, and sent letters to their Senators asking them to oppose bill. KanVote delivered a petition opposing the bill with the signatures of over 3,500 Kansans. In the face of mass public opposition, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee decided not to vote on the bill (HB 2437).

“Gut-and-go” is a legislative tactic where a bill is stripped (gutted) of its content, which is then replaced with the contents of an entirely different piece of legislation. In this case the language of H Sub SB17, a bill regarding campaign finance of state board of education candidates, was stripped and replaced with the contents of HB 2437. This functionally hides the controversial HB 2437 bill under the guise of a lesser known piece of legislation in an attempt to bamboozle legislators and misinform the public.

The “gut-and-go” tactic subverts the legislative practice of fair and open debate in favor of an expedited “up-and-down” vote on the floor of the Senate. When the Kansas House passes H Sub SB 17, the Senate will vote to concur or not concur with the new language contained in the bill. If the Senate votes to concur, then bill will go straight to Governor Brownback’s desk to be signed into law and the new voter registration restrictions will go into effect in June.

The people of Kansas and the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee have twice decided that it is best to wait until January 1st 2013 for the new voter registration restrictions. The introduction of HB 2437 undermined that decision. Kobach’s rush to suppress the vote in time for the 2012 elections has now led him not only to undermine the will of the people and our legislature, but to deceive all Kansans while subverting our legislative process all together."